The question is
not, Can they reason? nor Can they talk? but Can they
suffer?

Jeremy Bentham

Farm animals are recognised as sentient beings in the
treaty of Amsterdam

We passed
by a farm recently and all the
sheep you see here and others where housed in
a barn, for a clearer view
seelarger
photograph,. They were all
just looking through the gate as
though asking for help. Do I
image this. Passing by fields
with similar gates sheep do not
crowd round them staring out
looking at you in this way. I
really felt sad for these sheep
as it appeared as though they
where asking for help. I don't
know why they are here, but
without exception every sheep
turned her gaze towards the gate
and out onto the road as though
wanting their freedom.

I along with a
growing consensus of people including scientists
consider animals to be sentient, and this includes sheep
and you can read my article concerning the sentience of
sheep:
Sentient Sheep

However regardless of whether or not sheep are sentient
it is obvious that they like other creatures feel pain.
Not for one moment have I ever considered otherwise and in
our modern society most people would not give it a
second thought that this is not the case, as it is as obvious as the fact that you
or I feel pain. An animal has a brain and a nervous
system, therefore it is not possible that they do not feel
pain. Yet many awful and painful abuses take place on
animals every single day in farms all over the world,
abuses
that few people are aware of and these abuses are
horrifying cruel. More information:
Animal Rights

Why
do sheep need liberating, saving? Saving from what? Saving from
premature death in the abattoir, an
eloquently sounding word, I would imagine of French
origin for a place of such cruelty. This is of course
the most dire and obvious abuse and act of cruelty
towards these gentle creatures and other farm animals.
There can be no two ways about this, to cause the death
of another feeling thinking being is cruel and
particularly in such dreadful and terrifying
circumstances, for make no mistake sheep like all
creatures sheep know that they are to die, they can sense the fear
of their fellows, hear the panicked bleating of fear and
distress.

...there is
absolutely no doubt that they know when death is upon
them. When they believe all is lost, lambs go completely
limp in the hand. Unto us a lamb is given by Horatio ClareI do not
like eating meat because I have seen lambs and pigs
killed. I saw and felt their pain. They felt the
approaching death. I could not bear it. I cried like a
child. I ran up a hill and could not breathe. I felt
that I was choking. I felt the death of the lamb. Vaslav Nijinsky

However up until
that day unlike other factory farmed animals sheep live
more natural lives... Or do they? They are breed
outdoors with more freedom of movement, not crowded and
cramped into tiny spaces never to see the light of day
or feel the warmth of the sun on their backs as are, for
example pigs, often confined to spaces where they can
barely turn round. Sheep mostly have a natural diet and
are left to freely graze, their lambs are reared by
their own mothers. Compared to most farm animals their
lives appear natural, even idyllic. However underneath
this idyllic facade there is a layer of suffering not
seen and of which few of us are aware. As you roam
through the country on a warm sunny day through fields
of butter cups you see the tiny lambs, hear them
bleating, it all seems so peaceful, yet underneath this
facade there is
much suffering.

Here
is the reality. Sheep are bred for meat, wool,
skin and more recently and ever increasingly milk. Sheep
breed for milk are farmed more intensively.

Each
year over 4 million sheep in the UK die from exposure
to the cold, (many sheep suffer with
pneumonia and hypothermia during the winter time when
exposed unprotected to harsh weather conditions,
particularly in upland areas such as the Yorkshire Dales
and Moors.) hunger, disease and pregnancy problems and
injury take their toll. Such occurs often as a result of neglect.

Here
in the UK over 15 million sheep are slaughtered each
year, an unimaginable number of living
sentient beings herded
into lorries cramped together, terrified. Few live out
the duration of their natural lives unless they are
fortunate to live in a farm sanctuary or are kept as
pets. The adorable tiny lambs many people delight in
seeing each spring time in such places as the Yorkshire
Dales are slaughtered from as early as 10 to 16 weeks
old and some even earlier to cater for a demand for lamb
at Easter time. It is beyond my comprehension how anyone
can round up these tiny defenceless, gentle creatures,
take them from their mothers, herd them into a lorry and
take them to the nearest abattoir.

Part of the problem
in my opinion is simply that people do not think, they
simply do not make the connection. Most people are
far removed from the countryside, and rarely see a tiny
newborn lamb, or a baby calf and even if you live in the
country you rarely see pigs as these poor creatures are
confined in barns for most of their lives. The leg of lamb
or the pork shop many people buy in the butchers or
vacuumed packed in supermarkets does not resemble
a living feeling vibrant creature, if it did I rather
think few would buy it. Even in the case of the
farmer many see no incongruity of
speaking fondly of their live stock yet when the times
come send them to slaughter nonetheless.
During the foot and mouth crisis in the UK the media
showed distraught farmers crying when their animals
where killed during the culling atrocity to prevent the
spread of a disease amongst animals that is no more
fatal than the flu is for most of us. Yet these same
farmer send thier animals to slaughter without a second
thought, It is as though
there is some mental block, as though people do not make
the connection.

Surprisingly many
people driving though the Dales during spring, stopping
to photograph new born lambs with their mothers or even
visiting farms to see orphaned lambs being battle fed
will nonetheless not see the incongruity of ordering
local lamb in many of the
cafe's, tea rooms and pubs scattered throughout the
Yorkshire Dales and similar places.

And the mother of
course is not free to live out her natural life,
eventually she will also be killed for mutton as soon as
her useful breeding life is over. The average life of a ewe is up to 15 years;
sadly the majority are slaughtered by the age of 6
years. Most new born
rams lambs
are slaughtered and only the most desirable are kept to
increase stock.

Breeding

In nature breading happens
once each year, the ewe (female sheep) comes into season in the autumn
and sometimes in winter and gives birth when it is
warmer in the spring. Ewes naturally give birth to
one and more rarely two lambs. However modern farming
practices interfere with this natural cycle by the use of
hormones and controlled lighting whilst keeping ewes
confined to sheds in order to capitalise
on sales of lamb for Easter and lambs are born earlier,
sometimes as early as January even December. The
consequences of this abuse are dire; many of these tiny
lambs do not survive the cold and each year over one
million new born lambs die of exposure within days of
being born. Moreover because lambs are so
profitable factory farming practices include the
impregnation of ewes with three or four lambs often with
dreadful consequences when the ewe is unable to cope.
In some cases Selective breeding has altered the sheeps
natural breeding patterns to such an extent that some
ewes are able to lamb twice a year. In short the ewe is treated like a lamb making
machine with little care for her welfare. All to provide
humans, mainly the minority in rich countries, with meat, a food
source that is no longer required and is a detriment not
only to animals but to the welfare of other people and
the planet as a whole. For more information on
these issues please refer on this website to sectionThink Differently Go Veggie/Vegan

Shearing

Shearing may seem a benign event, many people consider
that it is of benefit for the sheep and that without the
intervention of man sheep would not be able to loose their wool,
and often people consider that this is one justification
for the domestication of sheep. The truth is that indeed
yes without man's aid, without shearing sheep would be
in difficulty as they do not
shed their wool. But no this is not a natural
occurrence and is the result of selective breeding; sheep have been
genetically manipulated in order to introduce certain
desirable characteristics, desirable that is to the
farmer, the producer of meat, wool and milk. Sheep have
been selectively bred so that they produce abnormally
excessive amounts of wool. The most obvious and extreme
example is the Marino breed of sheep in Australia who
have been bred to have extra folds of skin in order to
increase the amount of wool produced by each sheep, this
leads to heat exhaustion and fly infestation which
than to prevent requires a horrific and extremely painful procedure
called mulsing, I will refer to this again later.
Australia being a hot climate makes this huge burden of
wool and skin a particular detriment for this
unfortunate creature. Pure bread Merino sheep make up
over 80% of Australia's sheep with most of the remainder
having at least some Marino Blood. The result
of this and similar selective breeding is that sheep are no longer naturally capable of
shedding their own wool and therefore must be shorn, a
process which at the very least is extremely stressful and at worse
painful. Sheep sharers particularly in Australia are
paid piece work, that is they are paid according to the
number of sheep they shear. This results in very rough
handing and in many cases serious injury as viewed by
the following witness.

Shearers are usually paid by
volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast work
without regard for the welfare of the sheep. Says one
eyewitness: "[T]he shearing shed must be one of the
worst places in the world for cruelty to animals I
have seen shearers punch sheep with their shears or
their fists until the sheep's nose bled. I have seen
sheep with half their faces shorn off "Quotation from
the PETA Website:
peta.org.au/issue/the-cruelty-of-wool/

And after this ordeal the suffering is far from over as
sheep are released into extremes of weather. Next time
you are in the country after a recent shearing you may
observe how close these poor creatures have been
sheared, even the tails of those who are fortune to have
them and which have not been docked - another abuse to
which I will again later refer - have been sheared so
close that you can see pink skin underneath! As you can
image this can have dire consequences, cold and
sunburn... or can you image? I think that many people
seem oblivious to the truth of such and even consider
that the farmer has done a service to the sheep rather
than consider it an act of cruelty. Here In the UK and
other countries of similar cold damp climates even in
June or July it can be bitterly cold and sheep often
suffer terribly as a result of excessive shearing,
particularly if the shearing is late in the year,
thousands die of exposure. In places such as the
Yorkshire dales, the Lake district even during the
summer months the temperatures can be very cold with
keen winds and of course this is more so after night
fall. Conversely in warmer climates and yes even in the
UK on hot days in June or July sheep may suffer painful
sunburn on skin exposed by excessive shearing. The
purpose of a sheep's fleece is to keep him warm, in
nature wool is slowly shed at the right time of year
when it is beneficial for the sheep. I have seen sheep
in May when it can be very warm burdened with a huge
heavy fleece which is not naturally shed, and the poor
creature will have to wait during even hottest of
summers until the shearer removes his fleece, when it
suits the farmer for a maximum yield of wool.

The sheep's woolly
coat has evolved to protect the sheep from both cold and
heat, it is not for making jumpers or carpets. A sheep's fleece
provides effective insulation against both cold and
heat. Before man's intervention,
sheep grew just enough wool to protect themselves from
temperature extremes and it was shed naturally at a slow
rate while new wool grew underneath.

Mulesing occurs commonly in Australia, the
world's leading sheep producer and exporter with a
national flock of an estimated 135 million sheep, but is
practiced globally.

Millions of sheep suffer the
pain of mulesing every year.

In a study by Fell and Shutt (1989), it was found that
stress-related behaviour in sheep continued for up to 113
days following mulesing. These behaviours included
displaying abnormal postures most likely resulting from the
painful mulesing wound for up to 48 hours following
mutilation and standing stood with head down, nose almost
touching the ground, back arched, and body hunched.

A study conducted by Chapman et al. (1994) found that
surgically mulesed sheep quickly assumed a hunched-up
posture. The study reported that normal daily behaviour of
observed sheep was altered for up to 72 hours. Compared to
sheep in a control group, mulesed sheep did not engage in
routine feeding, lying, or grazing. Instead, mulesed sheep
were observed to spend much of their time standing still.
Researchers did not observe any of the mulesed animals lying
or resting on the day following mutilation or even drinking
until the second day following mutilation. The study also
found that mulesed sheep lost weight during the week
following mutilation.

Well I am not in the least surprised to read the above
as Mulesing is such an horrifyingly painful mutilation
carried out on tiny defenceless lambs. I cannot bear to
look at photos showing the severe cruelty of this
practice, like the one you will see further down,
without feeling sick inside. I, like many people was not
aware of Mulesing or any of the other barbaric abuse
carried out on sheep until I began my research during
the creation of this website. To say I am shocked,
horrified and deeply depressed by these acts of cruelty
and the fact that such acts are carried out legally is
an understatement

Musing is a
surgical procedure, it is used to reduce the incidence
of flystike, a dreadful and potentially life
threateningly infestation. This painful procedure is
more commonly practiced in Australia where due to
climate and the consequences of selective breeding
Marino sheepare
more susceptible to flystike infestations. Flies are
attracted to the moisture and urine that collects within
the unnatural folds of skin in Marino sheep and lay
their eggs. When the maggots hatch they can eat the
sheep alive, horrific indeed. However even more horrific
is the practice of mulesing, an unimaginably
painful procedure which involves cutting large strips of
flesh from the hind legs of lambs who are about four
weeks old. Mulesing is done to create scars and a smooth
skin that cannot harbour flies. This is done with
no anaesthetic. The very procedure itself may
cause the disease it is supposed to prevent, mulesing
obviously results in open wounds which often get
flystike before they are able to heal along with all
kinds of infections which of course result from any open
wound. There are other more humane methods to protect
sheep from fly strike without recourse to such cruel
barbaric and abusive methods which is only undertaken for financial considerations,
mulesing being cheaper than more humane methods. Surely
common sense methods such as maintaining healthy sheep
by inspecting them regularly for the first sign of
infection, which is than easily irradiated and which is the
practice amongst organic farmers.

"Anecdotal evidence through communication with
organic farmers suggests that fly strike is largely
preventable if farmers keep sheep healthy and
inspect them regularly. Some organic farmers have
largely eliminated fly strike from their farm.
Investigations on fly strike control using
non-intrusive techniques are also progressing in
Australaisa and the United Kingdom."

Moreover
Scientists in Australia have discovered that sick sheep
know how to heal themselves by eating plants that make
them well. Furthermore sheep learn this from their
mothers when they are lambs. Research shows that when
they have a choice sheep will return to a plant that has
helped them in the past. Dr Revell a scientist in
involved in the research studying sheep nutrition says:
It could be that sheep need
certain medicinal paddocks where we take them to
self-medicate or it could be that they need ongoing
low-level intakes of certain plants to keep parasites at
bay,

The right plants have to be available to the animals at
the right time. We suspect they need access to a range
of different forage plants to learn which to choose,

He said sheep learnt best from
their mothers and knowledge of medicinal plants may be
passed on through generations of sheep. In nature the
prevention of flystike might well be possible due to the
abilities sheep have to self medicate if grazed in
fields with the appropriate plants . Flystike as with so
many issues has been made more of a problem as a result
of domestication. It most certainly can be controlled as
explained in the quote concerning the methods of organic
farming without recourse to such dreadful cruelty which
is nothing short of torture!

Even if
Mulesing was the only action which could be carried out
to protect sheep from flystike it should be carried out
by a veterinary surgeon, with the use of anaesthetics and
after the procedure the animal should be treated with
painkillers and antiseptics. There is no law in
Australia that requires that farmers follow this
procedure and consequently Mulesing is often carried out
by less ethical farmers without the above course of
action taking place. There are products that have been
approved for pain relief during the procedure however
the use of pain relief is not mandatory by Australian
industry practices. The New South Wales Department of
Primary Industries states in the Standard Operating
Procedures that, "While the operation causes some pain,
no pre or post operative pain relief measures are used".
Antiseptics
are often applied, but anaesthesia and painkillers are
not required during or after the procedure.

A new
product Tri-Solfen
recently launched for the relief of post operative pain
and also as an antiseptic is just one product that could
be used to relieve the suffering of lambs.

Personally I see no
reason whatsoever to carry out this procedure at all,
even with the use of anaesthetics it is still painful
and stressful for the unfortunate animal. Most of us
know from our own experience with anaesthetics, and I
imagine that we are here talking about local
anaesthetics, there is still some discomfort and there
is no painkiller that completely irradiates post
operative pain.

It would seem from
the information below that a little care and
attention to the welfare of sheep would help in the
fight against fly strike without recourse to Mulesing,
such as the procedures outlined below:

"Blowflies
thrive in still, warm and humid conditions. Our
long-awaited summer could still deliver these
conditions, and it pays to be vigilant. There are
several options available to minimise the risk of an
outbreak:
 dagging to reduce odours, faeces, urine and fleece rot
 dont let wool get too long  certainly never more
than a years growth
 time shearing so that wool is shortest during the
warmest months
 dispose of any carcasses  these are breeding grounds
for flies
 consider use of fly traps to help reduce numbers and
monitor levels of blowflies
 move sheep to more exposed paddocks during danger
periods (flies dislike wind)
 good parasite control to prevent scouring
 use a spray-on insecticide to prevent flystrike during
the danger months."Schering-Plough Coopers, animal health remedies New
Zealand for farmers

I
have though the distinct impression that cost efficiency
is the main obstacle here for preventing the use of more
humane alternatives . In short there are two few
shepherds to tend the sheep, its another form of
downsizing to accrue more profit, sadly here at the
expense of defenceless creatures. It is obvious that the
most desirable action for the welfare of the sheep is
the above organic method of maintaining the health of
the sheep, frequency checking for infestation and
treating it quickly when it arises with an appropriate
pesticide.

This poor little lamb has undergone
Mulesing. This defenceless creature has been
mutilated, her skin and tail have been cut
with shears . No anaesthetic is used.

Tail docking
is a procedure carried out to reduce problems with fly
infestation when faecal matter accumulates on the
sheep's rear end, often referred to in Australia as dag,
which has become a slang term in Australian subculture often used as an affectionate insult for someone who is
unfashionable, and/or with poor social skills.

There are
several methods used to bring about this painful
mutilation.

Banding

During this
particular mutilation the lamb's tail is removed by using
a tight rubber ring which restricts the flow of blood to
the tail which after some time causes the tail to drop
off, after 7 to 10 days. This is obviously very painful
and if the elastrator method is used it leaves the lamb
susceptible to tetanus for which he or she than needs a
vaccination. Some shepherds cut off the tail before
before it falls off .

Rubber
elastrator rings and pliers as used on lambs, goats and
some calves for the purpose of tail docking and
castration

Other even more
horrific methods include the use of a knife or hot iron.
A knife is the least recommended technique as it may
result in excessive bleeding and is of course extremely painful
for the lamb. An electric docking iron cuts and
cauterises the tail simultaneously. An emasculator can
be used for both tail docking and castration, it has
both a cutting and crushing mechanism. The crushing
mechanism seals the blood vessels on the tail remaining
on the lamb, while the cutting edge effectively removes
the tail.

Emasculator may be used for both
tail docking and castration. See
picture further down of a mule being
castrated by the use of this
implement

A Burdizzo below, also used for castration may sometimes
be used for tail docking and is similar to the
emasculator except it does not have a cutting mechanism.
A knife must be used to cut off the tail (inside the
Burdizzo). A "baby" (9 in.) burdizzo is used for lambs.

Burdizzo used for both castration
and tail docking

Doesn't it all look horrific, rather like the implements
of a torture chamber, these tools are used to undertake this procedure which
is of no benefit to the creature concerned and which causes him or her only pain and suffering

Keep in mind
that an anaesthetic is rarely used.

Even if
anaesthesia is carried out there is still the problem of
after pain following the mutilation. Furthermore neuromas grow in the tail stump, these abnormal knots of nerve tissue are
associated with chronic pain in human amputees,
therefore in all probability lambs with docked tails
may suffer chronic pain.

This painful
procedure is carried out on tiny new born lambs from one
to seven days old like this one

Moreover, things
may go wrong with the result of much additional
suffering. Sometimes their tails are cut too short, this
results in an increased possibility of the animal
suffering from rectal prolapse.

Finally
consider sheep have tails for a reason. It protects the
sheep's anus, vulva and udder from weather extremes.
When sheep defecate they lift thier tail and use their
tail to some extent to scatter thier faeces. Nature
intended sheep to have a tail, it is not an obsolete
organ like your appendix. As usual this procedure is
carried out more for the benefit of man than the animal
concerned: for example it is easier for sheep Shearers if the tails
are
docked; also some markets may discriminate against lambs with
tails.

Castration

Most male
lambs, rams, not required for breeding are castrated at the
same time as tail docking in order to stop fighting and unwanted
pregnancies.

Male lambs may be
castrated before they reach 3 months of age if they are
to be kept after reaching sexual maturity. The
vast majority of lambs are generally not castrated in
the UK ( those not needed for breeding) as they are
slaughtered before they become sexually active. The most
common method of castration is similar to some of the
methods used for tail docking and the same implements
are used. One method involves the application of a tight
rubber ring which cuts off the blood supply. A tight
rubber band is placed round the top of the scrotum,
which like the tail eventually drops off in two to three
weeks. Although like tail docking the scrotum is
sometimes cut off after a few days. The banding method
of castration is very painful and is supposed to be
undertaken within less than seven days after birth. Can
you imagine those tiny little lambs wobbling about on
spindly legs undergoing such horrific procedures. Again
the lamb becomes more susceptible to tetanus for which a
vaccination is required.

An even more painful and inhumane procedure
involves the bottom of the scrotum being cut with a
knife or a scalpel and the
testes squeezed out. Research in the UK indicates that
this method is the most painful, although I am sure that
anyone with any common sense would know that these
methods are painful. I wonder if the farmer would like
his scrotum cut off and his testicles removed without an
anaesthetic. Sheep like all animals have a nervous
system and a brain and consequently feel pain. This method
may also lead to fly infestation and other infections if inadequate
sterilization is not carried out.

Another method
is the use of the All-In-One tool, this is a device used
to grab the testicles after cutting off the bottom one
third of the scrotum with the scissors portion of the
tool. A burdizzo , see photo above, used also for tail
docking, is used to crush the spermatic cord, which
crushes the blood vessels. The testicles are thus
deprived of their blood supply causing them
to shrivel up and die.

Both
castration and tail docking of lambs may occur
without anaesthetic. With
both mutilations there of course will occur pain
afterwards which may become
chronic.

To anyone with
any common sense it is obvious that castration is
extremely painful, sheep just like us have a brain and a
nervous system which works in the same way as it does
for us and indeed for all animals, pain after all is a
survival mechanism, no creature would survive with out
it. It has been observed that after their rings have
been fitted that lambs show observable signs of
pain and distress as they bleat loudly, stamp thier
hooves, lie on their backs hyperventilating and stand in
a huddled position. And just like you and I when we are
in pain and distress lambs become less sociable, their
is less exploratory behaviour and they in general move
more slowly.

Scientists
are in agreement that all methods of docking and
castration cause pain and distress to the lamb, though
the severity and extent varies by lamb, sometimes breed,
and methodology. The scientific literature pertaining to
the pain and distress caused by castration and tail
docking is lengthy and complex. Studies have been
conducted in different countries, with different
species, breeds, ages, methods, and methodology. Results
and conclusions are not always in agreement, though some
general recommendations can be gleaned from the
scientific literature.

Tail docking and castration is
obviously painful, this is common sense surely

Tooth-Grinding/Trimming
Tooth-grinding is thankfully prohibited here in the UK. However keep in mind
that much of the lamb consumed in the UK and the wool
used is imported from countries that carry out this
practice.
Teeth grinding is carried out in Australia despite the
Australian Veterinary Association opposition to this
practice which they consider is unnecessary.

"The
Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) opposes tooth
trimming, tooth clipping or tooth grinding in sheep.
These procedures cannot be justified or recommended
because they have not been shown to benefit the welfare
or productivity of the animal."

The idea of teeth grinding is supposed to sharpen the
sheep's bite and prevent them from losing their teeth. However sheep who have had their teeth trimmed in this way do
not gain weight or increase their food intake therefore
there is no benefit and only stress and pain for the
unfortunate creature. As you can well imagine there is
also much stress involved in this procedure.

Many older sheep over 3 or 4 years of age are culled
prematurely due to broken teeth, grinding is supposed to
reduce this and is carried out routinely. A rotary stone
cutting machine is used to slice off the ewes front
teeth through the pulp and almost to the gum, which
surely must be extremely painful. The
code of practice for sheep in western Australian section
10.7 states:

" Both teeth grinding and teeth trimming have the
potential for causing acute and chronic pain in some
animals. In the absence of sound evidence on the
benefits of teeth grinding and teeth trimming they
cannot be recommended as routine flock management
procedures.

Yet despite
this statement this practice is carried out in Australia
and elsewhere.

Diseases

In addition to infection
caused by flystike, sheep suffer a number of conditions
some of which are a result of the conditions in which
they are kept. For example painful foot diseases result
from sheep being kept on damp low land. Other serious
disease or conditions include lameness, Sheep Scab,
Watery Mouth, Toxoplasmosis, Skin & Internal Parasites,
Copper Poisoning/toxicity and mastitis. In
addition many sheep suffer from exposure, hypothermia, and pneumonia as a result of being in exposed
regions where the weather is harsh. For instance in
upland areas here in the north of England and Scotland.
Due to intensive farming methods lambs are born and
are weaned earlier fed on milk substitute feed
concentrates and housed indoors where disease spreads
more quickly. For more information visit the vegetarian
society's website:
https://www.vegsoc.org/sheepCulling

As a result of
lameness, poor health or failing to produce lambs 15-25
per cent of ewes are culled, in other words, killed. They
are of course replaced in the stock . During the foot
and mouth outbreak 5 million sheep where culled
slaughtered needlessly for a disease that is rather like
flu, uncomfortable, unpleasant but not fatal.

It is becoming
increasingly more common to confine sheep in doors in a
similar way to more intensively farmed animals as pigs
and poultry. These barns are poorly lit and sheep have
to stand on concrete floors or even worse on metal
slatted floors as you see in the picture below.

Indeed it
seems there is no limit to the torture which sheep
endure.

"Within
weeks of birth, lambs' ears are hole-punched, their
tails are chopped off, and the males are castrated
without anesthetics. Male lambs are castrated when they
are between 2 and 8 weeks old, either by making an
incision and cutting their testicles out or with a
rubber ring used to cut off blood supply-one of the most
painful methods of castration possible. Every year,
hundreds of lambs die before the age of 8 weeks from
exposure or starvation, and mature sheep die every year
from disease, lack of shelter, and neglect."

Extract
from Peta's (People for the ethical treatment of
animals) website.

The RSPCA advocate the following in
Surgical animal husbandry techniquesDehorning - Lambs: (i.e., less than twelve weeks
of age). i. Cautery - using heat only; and ii. Physical
removal of the horn bud, using scraper blade or
dehorning shears. No anaesthetic required. Castration - Juvenile Males:
a. Knife - no anaesthetic necessary. The animal must be
appropriately restrained, and adequate post-operative
drainage essential; and
b. Rubber rings. This must be applied according to the
manufacturer's recommendation Vaccination against
tetanus should be given. No anaesthetic is required. Docking:
a. knife; and b. Rubber rings.

A comprehensive
list of useful websites advocating veganism and
vegetarianism, including both the vegetarian and Vegan
societies and information about similar societies around
the world, may be found here on this website:

These
videos which concern some of the appalling
cruelty towards sheep are very distressing
indeed . In fact some I cannot bring myself to
view to the end. Please pass on to others by
social media such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs,
websites and so on. If we ever hope to stop this
cruelty people need to know about the appalling
suffering that is inflicted upon these gentle
animals.

Live Export investigation From Animals Australia

Includes Animal Australia's film

WARNING: this video contains footage of
Animals Australia's November 2010
Festival of Sacrifice investigation that
was considered too distressing for
television.

The way forward here of course is to
stop the transportation of sheep and
ultimately stop exploiting these animals
for their meat and wool both of which we
no longer need. There is nothing humane
about death, however improved the system
of transport and slaughter.

I am not an
animal expert of any kind just your average person who
loves animals, all animals, and feels deeply about the
plight of many of our fellow creatures. Neither am I a
writer, or any other expert. Therefore please keep in
mind that the information included in this website has
been researched to the best of my ability and any
misinformation is quite by accident but of course
possible.